Hotel du Vin auctions its best wines for the Taylor Made Dreams charity

Wine lovers in Kent are being given the chance to win valuable bottles of their favourite tipple in a charity auction and raffle being held by Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells.

The auction t is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hotel du Vin brand.

Enthusiasts can bid for three bottles with current market values of up to £1,500 in a silent online auction being held in September, with the three winning bidders also receiving dinner for two at Hotel du Vin.

Hotel du Vin general manager James McComas and the three bottles of wine in the silent auction

They can also buy raffle tickets to win one of 12 bottles of wine valued at up to £350.

Proceeds above the reserve price for each bottle will be split between the charities Hospitality Action and Taylor Made Dreams.

Taylor Made Dreams makes dreams come true for children with life-limiting illnesses.

James McComas, general manager of the Hotel du Vin said: “These bottles of wine have all been hand selected by our sommeliers over the years and offer

exceptionally fine drinking experiences, or even investments."

The most exceptional bottle in the auction is a Montrachet Domaine des Comtes Lafon 2006. Valued at more than £1,500, it is an exemplar of Burgundy Grand Cru viticulture and oenology, described as "somehow both statuesque and at the same time ethereal and cloud like.”

The second most valuable wine is a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1995, which has seen its market value increase five-fold since it was bottled. Its current market value of around £700 is reflective of an average critic score exceeding 95 points (out of 100) and its Premier Cru (First Growth) status from one of Bordeaux’s finest producers.

Also available is a magnum of Louis Roederer Cristal 1989, one of the most sought-after champagnes in the world, originally commissioned by Russian Tsar Alexander II. The 1989 magnum has a current market value of

£500 and is described by Wine Critic Antonio Galloni as “a wine of kaleidoscopic personality sure to leave Champagne lovers weak at the knees."

The online auction is available here and is being held from September 1 to 29.